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It went from feeling cold and wintery just a week ago to feel like the middle of summer today! It's a stunningly gorgeous day here in San Francisco, and tons of people are out and about making the most of it. I took advantage of the day to get in my Week 5, Day 3 Couch to 5k run. For those of you who have done C25K before, you know this day is where things really start to amp up. It goes from 8 minutes as your longest running interval to 20 minutes in just one workout! Every single time I've done C25K, I've ended up having to repeat this day a few times because I couldn't get quite to 20 minutes.

But not today!

Tank top: Nike [similar]Pants: Under Armour [exact]Shoes: Newton Running [exact]Sunglasses: Oakley [exact]
Today was the first time I ever made it through the dreaded 20-minute run without stopping on my attempt! It was pretty warm outside (around 70 degrees), so I opted for my tank top from the Nike Women's Half Marathon. Although I don't love the way t…

My friend Crystal has been talking to me about her barre classes for months now. Any time I mentioned feeling out of shape, she's quick to suggest joining her at her Dailey Method classes. Since I run a few times a week, I always felt like I was fine. However, I've started noticing my lack of core and upper body strength lately. I know core strength is important for runners, but because I don't particularly enjoy doing crunches in a gym, I neglect it.

So, I gave in. I finally agreed to give The Dailey Method's barre class a shot tonight.

Tank: Forever 21 [similar]Pants: Yogasmoga [exact]Sports bra: Lululemon [similar]First thing's first: this is definitely a good workout. I discovered muscles that I didn't know existed several times over the course of an hour. However, I also had a few moments that I had absolutely no clue what we were even supposed to be doing in the class. I'm not sure if that was a reflection of the teacher or the way the classes work in g…

Despite the cold weather this week, today was much nicer! So, I decided to head down to the water for a run in the sunshine. I even busted out a tank top for it! Before I headed out, though, my friends Kim and Brent texted, asking if I wanted to join them at a climbing gym nearby. I hardly ever get in upper body workouts and had been wanting to try climbing for awhile, so I figured why not?

Tank top: Under Armour [exact]Sports bra: GapFit [similar]Pants: Under Armour [exact]Running Shoes: Newton Running [exact]Sunglasses: Oakley [exact] I found this sports bra at the Gap Factory Outlet last weekend, and I love it! It is reminiscent of Lululemon's Energy bra, but at about a fifth of the price. I particularly loved how it looked with the backless tank top I wore. These pants are also part of my latest Under Armour haul. The fit was fantastic! They're very compressive and completely opaque. Even when I was crawling up these walls with my legs all over the place, they stretched well…

Like I mentioned the other day, I got a new batch of Under Armour clothes. I had to do a treadmill run the other night because it was already dark when I got home from work, so I figured it was the perfect time to try out the tank top and shorts! With San Francisco being a little on the chilly side this week, I doubt I'll be wearing them outside for awhile. Tank top: Under Armour [exact]Shorts: Under Armour [exact]Shoes: Newton Running [exact]Apologies for the poor quality photo. The lighting in my gym isn't exactly the greatest, and there's only so much I can do on Photoshop. Now, onto the clothes... I absolutely love the color of these shorts (I have a soft spot for neon workout apparel), but they fit a little big. I've since washed and dried them, so we'll see if that improves the fit at all for me. Otherwise, I may size down if I buy them again. The tank top is just another color of my backless bluetank top that I've shared on here before. I really love thes…

Since I was working from home today, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and go for a run at lunchtime! It was my first run in a week, mainly due to my gym being open weird hours for the holiday weekend and a generally busy schedule. It ended up being a great one, though! My Couch to 5k run today (week 4, day 2) had a five-minute run interval right when I got to the start of a long, tall hill on my typical loop (and finished right when I hit the top of the hill). I figured I had earned the downhill, so I kept running through the end of the hill.

Shirt: Columbia Sportswear [similar]Pants: Under Armour [exact]Shoes: Newton Running [exact]Sunglasses: Oakley [exact] After my frustration wearing my Yogasmoga pants while running, I decided to order some new pants from Under Armour. I'm generally a fan of their clothing, and they're one of the only big workout brands that hasn't gone completely to triangle gussets (another thing I've voiced my frustration about bef…

This morning was an early one for me — and I am not a morning person! One of my clients at work had a launch, which meant I started working at 5am to ensure everything was ready to go. So, I was in bed chipping away at launch-related work until about 9am.

At that point, I decided it was time for breakfast. I had already decided to work from home since I knew I wasn't likely to get a long enough break in my work to physically make the trip into the office, so I got ambitious. Also, my two weeks of no gluten recently ended, so it was a perfect opportunity to throw gluten back into the mix. My housemates and I get weekly produce from a local farm, and this week's items included a few Meyer lemons. So, I decided to whip up a Meyer lemon pound cake!

Reunited and it feels so good :) I was back on snow this weekend for the first time this season! My friend Julia (who I worked with at the USSA and skied with all the time over the last two years) recently moved to South Lake Tahoe to work for Heavenly Mountain Resort, one of the resorts Vail owns in the Tahoe area. I've already been up to visit her once since she moved, but we weren't able to go skiing that time. This weekend, though, we went up to the north side of Lake Tahoe and spent a day on the slopes at Northstar!

It was an absolutely beautiful day! Unfortunately, there hasn't been a ton of snow in the Tahoe area yet this season so the conditions weren't perfect, but it was still a lot of fun. As the odd skier who enjoy groomers, it was great for me. I did have the challenge of skiing in skis that were in desperate need of a tune up (the edges were pretty much nonexistent), but that was fine! My legs were another story, though. Running clearly does not work the sa…

Today was just one of those days where the absolute last thing you want to do after work is lace up your running shoes and put in a workout. However, it was also the first meeting of our brand new running club at work, so I sucked it up and joined my coworkers for a short run around the neighborhood. Everyone ran at their own pace, but we all met up at the end and had a nice little stretch/debrief after! Despite generally preferring to run solo, nights like tonight are when I understand the value of having others along with you!

T-Shirt: GapFit [exact]Pants: C9 [exact]Shoes: Newton Running [exact] Remember how I was complaining about my Yogasmoga pants not holding up well with running anymore and wanted to find a new brand to wear? Well, I think I found it. My cousin got these running crops for me for Christmas and I love them! I didn't have to stop to pull them up once during my run. They also have reflective patches on the side, which is particularly nice with it still getting dar…

Mondays are not my favorite day of the week. I usually have pretty busy Mondays at work because of my clients, and it's just rough getting back to work after the weekend! This weekend, I went to Sonoma for some wine tasting and had an impromptu Golden Globes viewing party, so it was particularly challenging to get back into the swing of things. Fortunately, though, I was feeling pretty energetic when I got home from work and headed straight to the gym to knock out a Couch to 5k run. I didn't experience any of the usual aches and pains during the first few minutes, which was refreshing. My long intervals didn't feel that bad, either. Considering how much I hate the treadmill, I was pretty shocked! Overall, it was a good night at the gym!

Shirt: Under Armour [exact]Sports bra: Lululemon [similar]Pants: GapFit [similar]Shoes: Newton Running [exact] I always intend to wear this shirt more often than I do. It's one of my favorite tank tops that I own! The vent in the back is b…

You know how most people spend their Friday evenings letting off some steam? Well, I've apparently officially become someone who unwinds by running because I spent my Friday evening doing just that. Some karaoke bar action may have happened after the fact, though ;)

Whitney joined me for my post-work run! I typically won't run outside after dark unless I have someone else with me, so I was pretty pumped to avoid the treadmill. We did a nice little run along the water. She's also joining me in our newly-formed work running club. It'll be nice to have people to run with every Wednesday moving forward! Shirt: Nike [similar]Pants: American Eagle [similar]Shoes: Newton Running [exact] This was one of the most comfortable running outfits I've been together in awhile! I always get tons of compliments on these pants. Sadly, American Eagle discontinued their very short-lived workout line. I wish they'd bring it back! Gluten-free life is surprisingly easier than I was expec…

I decided to meet with a nutritionist the other day after my doctor suggested it. I've been struggling with low energy levels and brain fog for awhile, which has been incredibly frustrating. The nutritionist's first suggestion? Cutting out gluten for two weeks and seeing how it makes me feel. Now, I absolutely love my gluten-filled baked goods and pasta and all of those wonderful things, so this is not exactly something I'm super happy about. But, on the other hand, if it gives me some answers about the energy issue, I am pumped about that. So, I'm two days in. It's been interesting so far...fortunately, I have a gluten-free roommate who keeps offering me advice! Onto the workout for the day...I had originally planned on running at work so I could get outside during daylight hours. However, it ended up being a pretty busy day at the office, so I had to drag myself to the gym and finish today's Couch to 5k workout on the treadmill. It was a bit painful, but I did…

After spending a week in 80-degree weather in Florida, San Francisco feels cold! It took me a few days to finally kick the rest of the flu out of my system, so I laid low and didn't do much in the way of exercising beyond some strolls on the beach. When I got back to SF, it was sunny and beautiful outside, but I was a little hesitant to jump back into running right away because I didn't want to chance getting sick all over again. But, after doing some digging for of my skiing layers, I opted to suck it up and get in a short run.

Side note: I am totally a wimp who wore skiing baselayers to run in 50-degree weather.

I was feeling pretty happy about the run at this point! I switched up my usual route a bit, going uphill instead of down along the water. It was a little more challenging, but I got the reward of great views at the top! I walked for quite awhile, too, because I forgot to turn around at the halfway point of my Couch to 5k run. Oops.